I am a 16 year old boy living in the u.k and 2 months ago i started work as a full time training chef. I am going to be starting college soon but i'm now having doubts about my career choice as it is a stressful job and i'm not sure that when it is busy i will be able to cope with the pressure. These thoughts have started to make me depressed and quitting my job has become a genuine thought that is on my mind during most of my shifts, however i don't want to dissapoint the head chef and my 2 bosses as they have put a lot of work into getting me the aprenticeship that i'll be on and they have high hopes for my career as a chef. so i'm not sure wether to look for more jobs and then quit my current one or to stay on and hope that the job will become more enjoyable because even though my job is stressful, i do like learning different skills in the job but i'm not sure that that is enough to justify a 16 year old feeling depressed.

Please get back to me because i feel like i can only talk to people who are not in my personal or professional life as they may think i'm a a disappointment.

FROM OUR EXPERTS

Well first of all...you need to stop worrying about disappointing others and really think about whether or not you will disappoint yourself if you quit. You aren't doing this for your boss...you are doing this training for you right? and your future.

What made you want to become a chef? Do you still feel a passion for it? Sometimes the training to launch a career can sometimes often be more grueling than the actual work.

What things specifically are dragging you down and making you want to quit right now?

I have been where you are...not for cooking but for my studies to come a special ed teacher and also in social work. I had internships which made me want to quit everything and made me doubt myself. But...I hung in there and today I am glad I did. Some things absolutely suck during the process but...they can be an essential ingredient (forgive me for that)...to the main dish...your career.

There are very few jobs where there will be no stress so...it might be good to figure out how to handle this now. You are very young and so you have lots of time. How about giving yourself a time line. Give yourself some months...to reconsider all this. You may decide that this isn't for you but...I think you will kick yourself if you don't give it more of a try to really see.

In the meantime...try to figure out what aspects of the job cause you the most stress and maybe we can help give suggestions on how to cope.

Please let us know what happens...do hang in there. Thank you for reaching out here.

FROM OUR COMMUNITY

Find what is making you depressed. If you know that you can't deal with it any longer than let go of it. Go find something else that makes you happy. If you try hard enough you can stride through anything.. :)

You should knowAnswers to your question are meant to provide general health information but should not replace medical advice you receive from a doctor. No answers should be viewed as a diagnosis or recommended treatment for a condition. Content posted by community members does not necessarily reflect the views of Remedy Health Media, which also reserves the right to remove material deemed inappropriate.